Amcor has introduced a new paper-based, grease-resistant, and recyclable packaging for the snacks and confectionery market in Europe, the company has announced. Called LifeSpan Performance Paper, the packaging features a high oxygen and moisture barrier, and is currently being trialled with several leading FMCG brands . It is expected to first appear in European stores for snacks and confectionery later this year.
According to Amcor, the product has a paper fibre content exceeding 80%, while also being FSC-certified and PVDC-free. Moreover, recycling tests have demonstrated that over 80% of the content is recovered in the recycling process, qualifying it as recyclable in most of the world’s paper streams.
The LifeSpan Performance Paper is the first new product launched as part of Amcor’s global AmFiber platform, which the company unveiled at the end of January 2022.
Research into consumer spending habits since 2020 has consistently shown that consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products, with European shoppers scoring paper as their preferred packaging for confectionary brands.
AmFiber has been designed as a new platform of paper-based packaging products aimed at helping brands to respond to this growing consumer demand for paper-based packaging, with a range of products providing enhanced features and functional benefits to meet these evolving needs.
“LifeSpan Performance Paper is a unique paper-based solution that provides a high barrier, even in tropical conditions,” said Noemi Bertolino, vice president of R&D at Amcor EMEA flexibles. “Our customers have confirmed excellent performance on their packaging lines, and a high barrier after processing, overcoming two common challenges when switching to paper.”
Following the LifeSpan Performance Paper’s introduction for confectionery and snacks products in Europe, the solution will be extended to a new product range into coffee, drinks powders, seasoning and soups to the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions.
This latest launch complements Amcor’s existing recycle-ready portfolio for snacks and confectionery products, which includes recycle-ready PP-based, PE-based, and bioPE-based packaging options. It is in line with Amcor’s 2025 pledge to develop all its packaging to be recyclable or reusable and to increase the use of recycled content.